


So this is what makes life divine

by Fluffypanda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Animals, Cinderella Elements, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), M/M, Magic, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 00:32:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18354920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/pseuds/Fluffypanda
Summary: Stephen attends a party looking to break a potentially dangerous curse, but gets distracted by someone he meets in the garden.





	So this is what makes life divine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anastazja_is_out](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anastazja_is_out/gifts).



> [szaleksandra](https://szaleksandra.tumblr.com/) asked for a disney princess au and this is what came out...I may have taken some creative liberties with the concept. I hope you like it anyway! 
> 
> I took a little inspiration from [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRQcE30Jmew) and [here](https://disneyprincess.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Disney_Princesses#Requirements_to_be_a_.22Disney_Princess.22)
> 
> Thank you to [MusicalLuna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalLuna/pseuds/MusicalLuna), [athletiger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/athletiger/pseuds/athletiger), and [beemotionpicture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beemotionpicture/pseuds/beemotionpicture) for your support in writing this! As always, [erawebuilt](http://archiveofourown.org/users/erawebuilt/pseuds/erawebuilt) did an amazing job beta-ing the first half of this.

Honks and the occasional siren punctuated the rumble of cars idling in traffic. It was a soundscape that could be found in any large city, but its tenor possessed something just so uniquely New York. Stephen adjusted his tie and checked his watch: two hours and twenty some odd minutes until midnight. Good, he should have plenty of time to get in, find the anchor, and destroy it.

“Settle down,” Stephen hissed at the Cloak as it shifted on his shoulder, almost toppling him with its nearly thirty pounds of newfound weight. It seemed put off by the need to conform to the bounds of gravity, as evidenced by Stephen trying to steady it with one hand and getting nipped for his trouble. “I will send you back to the Sanctum if you can’t behave yourself.”

Its tail wrapped more tightly around Stephen’s arm, and it paused its clumsy attempts at testing its new form long enough for Stephen to make it inside. Stephen had been hoping for something a little more low profile than a binturong, but exotic animals weren’t completely out of place at parties like this, and the cloak had made it more than clear it wasn’t going to be left behind.

The doorman greeted Stephen as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “Welcome, sir. May I see your invitation please?”

Stephen had the crumpled receipt from his lunch at the ready, presenting it to the doorman with a simple illusion to convince him he’d seen what he needed to. Moments later, Stephen made his entrance into the party.

All eyes were on him, though most guests were too refined to be open with their stares. Perhaps he miscalculated the impact the Cloak’s unusual form would have. Coming back to the trappings of his old life revealed how far his sense of normalcy had been knocked askew.

He grabbed a drink from a passing server’s tray. He took a sip, attempting to appear casual, though a slight tremor in his hands betrayed him. Curious, the cloak stuck its twitching nose in it, accidentally inhaling some of the liquid, and sneezed. Fur bristled, it let out a disconcerted grumble. 

With a sigh, Stephen grimaced and left the glass on a side table.

A twist of his fingers, and he brought up his detection spell, which hovered over his hand like a small compass. The curse would have buried itself deep within its anchor, shielding them both from attention while it gathered power from the dark dimension. When finally activated, it would emerge and drain the life from everything around it.

Stephen worked his way across the party, subtly attempting to pick up a trace of the curse. Before Stephen could get a proper read, however, someone edged up to him. He quickly hid the spell.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the woman said, offering her hand. “Kate Henry.”

“Dr. Stephen Strange. If you’ll excuse me—” Stephen reluctantly shook it and tried to move on.

“Oh! I seem to recall reading about you. Gastrology was it?” she said without any real recognition. Her gaze concentrated on the Cloak with astonishing hunger as she followed him.

Stephen took a peek at his spell, but there was no change. “Neurosurgery, actually, though these days that’s a bit behind me.”

“What’s your field now?”

“I’m more focused on the spiritual.” Stephen tried to keep the annoyance from his voice. Couldn’t this woman find someone else to bother?

Stephen’s detection spell finally sparked near the hors d'oeuvres. He turned it over every which way to get a clearer read, completely ignoring Ms. Henry. It was just as well; Ms. Henry and everyone in the vicinity were thoroughly distracted as he found when he looked up to see the cloak eating the grapes off the cheese platter.

He pulled the cloak away before it could cause more damage to the hors d’oeuvres. “Sorry about that. Lev hasn’t learned his manners quite yet.”

“Lev? Oh, how charming. I had to leave my babies at home. Victoria and Fitzwilliam III are otters of course, and people get so bent out of shape at the littlest nibble. May I touch him?”

Stephen desperately searched for an excuse to escape her when the spell finally honed in on something on the rooftop garden. “Uhhh…he seems a little high strung right now and perhaps could use some time alone. Outdoors. I’m certain we can oblige your request later.”

He hustled out of there with the cloak still wriggling in his arms before he could be trapped in further conversation.

“What were you thinking?” Stephen hissed once they were outside. Music from the party prevented his voice from carrying. “Do you want them to remove us?”

The cloak snorted, looking thoroughly unapologetic as it finally found purchase in Stephen’s arms and used it to climb back on to his shoulders. Stephen took it as a sign of indifference that it was apparently still chewing on a grape.

Stephen rolled his eyes, exasperatedly tilting his head back to the sky. The stars were dimmer here than at Kamer-Taj. He spent so many more years in this city, but he’d gotten used to seeing the stars not crowded out by humanity’s light.

“Come on,” Stephen grunted as he shouldered the cloak higher, allowing it to the climb the tree. “Just wait here.”

Stephen followed the spell through the garden, weaving through the shrubs and flowerbeds that populated it. A small fountain burbled pleasantly in the center. He slipped off a glove to dip his fingers in the cool water. 

Once he would have thought nothing of sticking his hand in cold water, but now the sensation was odd, almost uncomfortable, and the scars had become all the more visible. Once he would have thought nothing of putting on a suit and socializing with vapid heiresses. Every time he thought he understood the full scope of what was lost—and gained—in that instant that irrevocably changed his life, he was proven wrong.

“Is the party so bad you would rather spend it out here?”

Stephen froze. No one should have been able to approach him undetected. He rounded on the speaker, preparing to defend himself and instead had his breath stolen.

The man who spoke could have fallen out of the sky. He was gorgeous, His round, dark eyes glittering in the city lights, a goatee, sharper than Stephen’s own, framing a sinful mouth, and tousled hair, a few strands of which hung across his forehead.

“Hello?” The man said again.

“I just wanted a bit of fresh air,” Stephen said when he finally found his words. He shook his head to clear it. He pulled his glove back on. He still had time yet before the curse activated, but he needed to focus.

He looked back at his spell, hidden from the newcomer by the angle of his body. He could feel the other’s eyes on him and his own were drawn up to meet them.

Something possessed him to ask, “Do I know you?”

“Why? Do I look familiar?” He leaned in to ask with earnest interest. His gaze swept up and down Stephen. “Does the name Tony Stark ring any bells?”

Stephen warmed from the attention, but shook his head. “No…I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Tony’s shoulders slumped and he began turning to go. “Look, I shouldn’t have bothered you, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“No, stay.” Why did he say that?

Tony seemed surprised, but looked thoughtful as he approached Stephen, almost as if he were taking measure of him. Finally he asked, “Have you ever encountered something you can’t quite explain?”

Stephen tucked his arms behind him and started walking. “My whole life is what it is because I wasn’t satisfied with mysteries rather than explanations.”

Tony brightened considerably as he fell into step with Stephen. “You’re a scientist?”

“I’ve called myself a man of science before, but no, I don’t spend much time in a lab.”

“A detective then.”

Stephen chuckled. “Between the two of us, I think you’re the one that likes playing Sherlock.”

“A spy?”

“What, like James Bond?” Stephen blinked. He never imagined being taken for a spy.

Tony gave Stephen a sly grin. “Why not? Wouldn’t you want to be a spy? You get to create a new identity, reinvent yourself. You’ve got the allure, you could be trying to seduce me.”

“Do you think spies just come up to you at random parties?” Stephen said, looking away to cover his embarrassment.

“You’d be surprised.”

Stephen felt surprisingly light. With Tony, there was none of the distance he experienced when he interacted with the other people he encountered tonight. “Obviously—”

“Doctor!” a voice called, preceded by the click-clack of high heels. “Is everything alright?”

Stephen groaned under his breath and debated making a run for it. He didn’t want to explain to her that his “pet” really wouldn’t appreciate being handled by some stranger. He had a feeling Ms. Henry wouldn’t take it well.

Ms. Henry quickly caught up with them. “You were gone for some time, I came to check on you and Lev.”

“You know her?” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Tony looked at Stephen in askance. “And who is Lev?”

Stephen cleared his throat. “I meet Ms. Henry earlier this evening.”

Ms. Henry looked at Tony, startled, as if she were seeing him for the first time. “You said—well, I’d have thought you’d have come back inside by now. Has he been holding you captive?”

“He can leave anytime he wants,” Tony said sharply. “Though I can see why he might be avoiding you.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Stephen stepped in.

“Ms. Henry, I’m afraid I have to disabuse you of any notions of sincerity of my offer from earlier. I have no intention of letting you interact with—Lev. I suggest you head back inside.”

“What?”

“He’s telling you to leave.”

Ms. Henry looked between the two of them then around, taking in that the Cloak was nowhere to be found. She stormed back inside with a sour look on her face.

“What was that about?” Tony asked.

“Nothing of—”

“Holy shit!” Tony said when something dropped out of the tree and on top of him. “What the hell!?”

Stephen laughed at his disgruntled expression. The Cloak however didn’t seem interested in fooling around. It attempted to reclaim its spot on Stephen’s shoulder.

“Wait. What time is it?” Stephen asked.

“Does it matter?” Tony asked, getting back on his feet. “Are you going to tell me about your friend there?”

Stephen had stopped listening. It was nearly midnight and the curse would activate any moment. Stephen examined the detection spell, but it was going wild, spinning in all directions. The anchor had to be close.

Stephen looked at Tony and recalled how Ms. Henry had overlooked him, how even Stephen himself hadn’t noticed him until he drew attention to himself.

“It was hiding you.” Stephen realized.

Suddenly Tony screamed, falling to his knees with his hands clutched to his chest. A sickly dark light spilled from between his fingers.

Someone had anchored the curse in a living being—inside the man standing before him.

Retrieving his sling ring from his pocket, Stephen opened a portal to the Mirror Dimension and pulled them both through to the shimmering kaleidoscope world. Stephen wrapped one arm around him for support. He reached inside the man’s chest, searching for the curse. It was too late to disarm it, but he could contain it. Eventually he managed to grasp a strand of it and began pulling the curse loose. Halfway through it snagged.

Stephen shouted, “Let go. The curse is killing you.”

“If you knew—you wouldn’t like me.”

Stephen shook his head. “You don’t know that. Let me save you!”

Stephen pressed a kiss to his lips. His eyes widened in surprise and the last strands of the curse tore free.

Stephen opened the portal back to the real world.

Tony was sleeping now, resting against Stephen’s shoulder. He slipped off the sling ring and put it in his pocket. Stephen brushed the hair out of his eyes and laid him down.

*~~*

Tony clawed his way back to consciousness feeling as if he’d gone toe to toe with Whiplash, without the suit. He was lying on a bench next to a fountain. He needed to find the man who saved him.

Tony plucked something shining from the water: a ring.

  
  



End file.
